If you hike Eaton Lake during the recommended months (June-September), it is very likely PURE HELL is an exaggeration. We climbed 3000 feet over 4km (one way), crossing rivers and hiking crawling through mud and snow…lots and lots of deep, soft snow. Despite the difficulties we had, PURE HELL are still not the first words I would use to describe this hike. The whole way we were rewarded with beautiful waterfalls, lush forest and breathtaking mountain views. If this is hell, sign me up!
Directions: Take exit #168 from the Trans-Canada Highway. Follow Flood Hope Road and turn right on to Silver Skagit Road. Keep left at the junction for Silver Lake Provincial Park. Shortly after the road’s 16 km marker, there is a side road marked with a sign for the Eaton Lake Trail and Eaton Creek Rec Site. Follow the road a short distance, where there is a basic camp located at the base of the trailhead. There are only a couple campsites.
We made it to the base of the Eaton Lake trailhead late Friday afternoon. It was raining and our first goal was to get a tarp set up for cooking and organizing our packs for our morning trek.
The wet coastal forest is lush with vegetation, but from the amount of rainfall in the area dry firewood was not in abundance. Therefore, having a campfire was out of the question that night. We had planned for early start on the trail so an early bedtime was not unwelcome.
Not long after we fell asleep we were woken by extremely loud, continuous, bone-crushing noises. The minutes it took for my brain to figure out what was happening were some of the scariest of my life. There had been a massive rock slide just on the other side of the river we were camped at, only about a half a kilometre away. It lasted about 20 terrifying seconds. This was one of the most wild (and scariest) things we have experienced in the backcountry thus far.
The next morning we started the climb. The trail winds along a rushing creek-bank, that gradually ascends with every step. About 1km into the hike we came across the first bridge and a beautiful waterfall that came pouring out of the forest.The first 1.5 kms is a breeze. In one sense it is a great warm up for the rest of the hike. But in another, it can mislead you into thinking you’re in for a causal walk.
About a kilometre after the waterfall we came upon a nice bench beside a flowing creek. Above the bench, on a tree, there is a sign telling you that you have made it halfway. Although it says that it is halfway, this is actually where the hike starts.
The trail continues up steep switchbacks from here on out. The snow started shortly after this point, first in the shaded areas then everywhere. The combination of the steep incline, deep snow and the heavy packs made for slow progress.
Towards the end of the hike we were pushed on by the occasional glimpse of mountain peaks, and the desire to make it all the way. As you will see, when we finally did make it to the lake we were rewarded for our efforts.
We had not expected to camp in full on winter conditions, but were committed to stay at least one night. After setting up camp we set out to collect firewood. It didn’t take long to realize there was going to be an issue finding enough dry wood to get one going.
Once the sun went down the temperature dropped rapidly. It was a rush to get our dinner cooked which (sort of) helped warm us up before bed. Cold and exhausted we took a few last minutes to appreciate the beautiful, clear night sky before crawling into our hammock and falling into a deep sleep.
We woke up first thing the next morning to the crisp morning air, the sun shining over the mountains…..and frozen boots. This was a first for us. In hindsight, it should have been common sense to bring the boots to bed with us. We both crawled back into the hammock knowing we wouldn’t be going anywhere for awhile. I stuffed mine in the bottom of my sleeping bag and fell back asleep. When I woke a couple hours later I found Bren wide awake with his arms wrapped around all four boots, taking turns sticking his hands inside of them to warm them up.
It was pretty easy at this point to make the decision to pack up camp. It was a gorgeous day but with wet boots and no fire it was a recipe for disaster.
We would recommend this hike to anyone looking for a good challenge. If attempt early season consider taking snowshoes/crampons. Lessons learned: expect various weather , sometimes camp should be set up where the resources are sufficient, not where you planned.
Before our descent, I mentioned how sad I was that we had to go back a day early. Bren looked over at me and said “veni, vidi, vici.” He further translated, it means, “I came, I saw, I conquered.” I love that. It perfectly sums up this adventure.